Zach Braff And Florence Pugh May Be Secretly Married — Despite Major Backlash On Their Relationship
She's 25 and he's 46.
Ovidiu Hrubaru / Shutterstock While there are plenty of celebrity couples with big age gaps — Kris Jenner and Corey Gamble, Hilarie Burton and Jeffrey Dean Morgan and David Foster and Katharine McPhee, just to name a few — actress Florence Pugh has received plenty of backlash for her relationship with fellow actor Zach Braff.
At 46 years old, Braff is more than 20 years older than Pugh, 25. She's had to defend her relationship on more than one occasion, even recently, where she spoke out and said that people don't like her relationship because "it's not who they expected."
Though Braff and Pugh have been dating for two years, there are rumors that the two are actually married. But is there any truth to it?
Are Florence Pugh and Zach Braff married?
The answer may have something to do with a certain piece of jewelry Pugh was sporting, as well as a possible slip from one of her friends.
But it's important to first delve into who Florence Pugh is, her acting career, and why people are so obsessed with the age gap in her relationship.
Pugh is from Oxfordshire, England.
Florence Pugh was born January 3, 1996 in Oxford, England. Her father, Clinton, is a restaurant owner, and her mother, Deborah, is a dancer and dance teacher.
Pugh spent part of her childhood in Andalusia, Spain, before moving back to Oxford. She has three siblings, two of whom are also in the entertainment industry — actor and musician Toby Sebastian, and stage actress Arabella Gibbins.
She's starred in dozens of film and television roles.
Pugh is perhaps best known for her performance in the horror film "Midsommar," as well as starring in the new Marvel movie, "Black Widow," where she plays Yelena Belova.
But Pugh made her film debut in 2014's "The Falling" before gaining attention for her performance in the indie film "Lady Macbeth." She's also appeared or starred in "Outlaw King," "Fighting with My Family," "Little Women" and will appear in the upcoming series "Hawkeye."
She also starred in the short film "In the Time It Takes to Get There," which was written and directed by Braff, and will star in "The Secret Ingredients of Rocket Cola," also set to be directed by Braff.
Pugh has a gift for accents.
While some of her films include an American accent — specifically, "Midsommar" and "Little Women" — Pugh is actually British.
She began experimenting with accents when she was six years old, where she starred in a recreation of the Nativity. Pugh decided to use a Yorkshire accent while playing the Virgin Mary, recounting, "I remember hobbling on to the stage, going [in a broad Yorkshire accent], ‘Ooh, me varicose veins!’ and everyone pissing themselves... It was the first time I knew the power of being on stage."
In addition to her American and English accents, she will have a Russian accent in "Black Widow."
Pugh and Braff have been dating since April 2019.
Braff and Pugh were first spotted out and about holding hands in mid-April of 2019, and by August 2019 she was posting photos alongside Braff.
In October 2019, Braff posted a photo on Instagram captioned "People I love," in which Pugh was in the shot.
Though the couple never confirmed their relationship publicly, by the fall of 2019, people could assume they were exclusively dating one another.
She's had to defend her relationship on numerous occasions.
It wasn't until December 2019 that Pugh began having to clap back at people hating on her relationship with Braff.
Pugh posted a photo outside a deli in L.A., and Braff commented with a princess emoji. A user wrote, "You're 44 years old," to which Pugh responded, "And yet he got it." Of her response, Pugh said it was "necessary" because "People need to realize that it’s hurtful. I have the right to hang out and be with and go out with anyone I want to."
But it wouldn't be the last time she'd have to speak up. In April 2020, after receiving hateful comments on a birthday post to Braff, Pugh uploaded a video of herself.
"I am 24 years old. I do not need you to tell me who I should and should not love. And I would never in my life, ever, ever, tell anyone who they can and cannot love. It is not your place and, really, it has nothing to do with you... The abuse that you throw at him is abuse that you are throwing at me, and I don't want those followers," she said.
A few months later, Pugh discussed her relationship in an interview. "I’m an actor because I like acting and I don’t mind people watching my stuff, but people have no right to educate me on my private life," she said.
"I know that part of being in the spotlight is that people might invade your privacy and have opinions on it, but it’s bizarre that normal folk are allowed to display such hate and opinions on a part of my life that I’m not putting out there. It’s a strange side of fame that you’re allowed to be torn apart by thousands of people even though you didn’t put that piece of you out there," Pugh continued.
Recently, Pugh explained to The Sunday Times why she thinks people are, essentially, obsessed with making unnecessary comments about her love life; specifically, her romance with Braff.
"I think it bugs people that it's not who they expected," she revealed, adding that people seem to want her to date someone her own age, like her former costar, Timothée Chalamet. "Exactly. Exactly. But it's my life and I'm not doing anything to please people or to make it a better headline or story. I want to also be a person!" she added.
There's speculation that Pugh and Braff are married.
In March 2021, Braff was spotted wearing a ring on his wedding finger, prompting rumors that the couple had secretly wed during quarantine. Though neither of their reps responded to the rumors, the speculation actually dates back to at least January 2021.
In early 2021, Pugh's friend, Trevor Tuttle, posted a photo of her for her birthday, captioning the post, "Happy birthday to this shining shaker! Your spirit is infectious, your laugh hilarious. You’ve made this awkward year kinda delightful with your pizzas and antics. Much love FPB!"
Tuttle referred to his friend as FPB, immediately drawing a reaction, with fans wondering if the "B" stood for Braff. Tuttle quickly denied the rumors, responding to a comment on the post with, "Not true in the slightest. Rumor false... It's a nickname I have for Florence which is not Braff... they are not married."
Tuttle is apparently Pugh and Braff's next door neighbor, but is he denying the rumors just to save face?
According to an insider for the gossip page DeuxMoi, “There’s a high chance Florence and Zach are actually engaged/married and it happened over the lull between Christmas and NYE. Trevor Tutle, who posted with the caption ‘FBP’, is their next-door neighbor who’s extremely close to them.”
Braff has had a few high-profile relationships.
Braff's former relationships include Mandy Moore, whom Braff dated for two-and-a-half years from 2004 to 2006. He most recently dated model Taylor Bagley from 2009 to 2014.
Braff has also been linked to Shiri Appleby, Drew Barrymore, Kirsten Dunst, Bonnie Somerville, Isabel Lucas, and dated his "Scrubs" costar, Sarah Chalke, from 2001 to 2003.
Amy Lamare is a Los Angeles based writer and editor covering entertainment, pop culture, beauty, fashion, fitness, technology, and the intersection of technology, business, and philanthropy. Find her on Facebook for more.